CHAMBER B

This is referred to as the chamber of offering or offerings. Access is made from the north wall of chamber A, by a single step (20cm of top). Originally, a door and surrounds in wood closed the opening. The passageway is asymmetrical, the left wall being very narrow. On the right, the wall is occupied by the couple Neferrenpet and Huyneferet, which, as already mentioned, is a continuation of the imagery of the north wall of chamber A. On the left, can now only be found a narrow band of vertical hieroglyphs on white background, which is associated with the decoration of the west wall of chamber A (see ).

The chamber is nearly perfectly oriented according to the cardinal points. It presents, as did the previous chamber, a very roughly hewn, arched and much higher ceiling (2.42m). It is more or less rectangular, measuring between 3.07 - 3.28m long (east-west) and about 2.50m wide (north-south). The walls have been levelled fairly regularly and have been lined with mud bricks before being painted.
In the eastern part of the room, the level of the floor had been raised to form a platform of 0.65m in height and 1.80m in depth, thus covering more than half of the chamber. This was destined to receive the food offerings and amphoras. As seen in this view seen from the entry (see ) the heightened area (on the right of the image) occupies a very important place. Its front face adjoins the bottom registers of the walls in this half of the chamber, acting as if it was physically part of the distant east wall. This face will be described as part of the east wall.
The bottom of the walls, at true floor level are edged with a red band edged in black, including the front wall of the platform.

The south wall

The area above the curved top of the entry (see ) is geographically a part of the south wall, but it represents a totally independent scene. The opening is guarded by two black Anubis, mummiforms, holding a knife. They sit under a rectangular structure surmounted by a kheker frieze, evoking one of these doorways which the deceased has to cross in his journey into the underground world. Under the blades of the knives was written "the Osiris Nakht[amon]".

The actual south wall, strictly speaking, contains three registers, which can best be seen in the photograph taken during the time of Bruyère (see ), when the bottom register was more visible. The upper two registers can be seen in a more recent photo (see ). The reading direction of the south wall is from left to right.

The upper register is entirely dedicated to the homage made by the deceased, his wife and family, to a youth who is seated (at the left) in front of a table of offerings.

The second register is dedicated to a scene of the funeral ceremony. The mourners, bearers and attendants head towards the right, where recipients await to receive them.

The wall is completed by a third register, located in the small area between the entrance and the platform. It contains three kneeling women.

1) - The upper register

Its content starts at the left extremity, beginning with the image of "Ax iqr n ra", "excellent spirit of Ra" (or "trustworthy spirit of Ra"). This is very unusual on a tomb wall, as this imagery is usually only found on stelae (see the of these monochrome tombs) for family worship made in homes or chapels. The "Ax" ("spirit") is the new form of the person, only acquired after death (it would seem that the best idea might be to assume it as being a ghost) and belongs exclusively to the realm of the divine. It is the entity which is more especially related to the worship given to an ancestor (Meeks, Dieu et panthéon).

The character to which the cult refers thus remains an enigma. He is designated as "The excellent spirit of Ra, Neferhotep, justified", without any other information. It is thought that he is the same Neferhotep as the one of the tomb of Ramose, TT250, but in this last case it is possible to reconstitute a parental lineage (Davies p31-34), which is not the case here. No Neferhotep ascending or having a relational link has been found in the family of Nakhtamon (Davies family trees 14 and 24), although Nakhtamon presents himself as "your brother"; but as already discussed, the study of the meaning of "sn" is vast; in any case, this Neferhotep is venerated as if he was a important member of a the family.

First noticeable is the small size of the character. Usually the recipient of the offering is at least the height of the officiating priest. His wig is unique, since a braid extends from it, which would normally extend behind the shoulder; this however, in accordance with the Ramesside idea, shows the third part of the wig, the one which would be hidden by the head (see , arrow). This process, commonplace for the women, is exceptional for the men and only here in Deir el-Medineh, for example at the tomb of Inerkhau, TT359 (Cherpion p 27-31). Another unusual fact: he wears around his hips a long red scarf (or sash) with black ends. This is knotted on the front of his long pleated kilt. But as usual, he tightly holds in his right hand a folded piece of cloth and in his left he holds a curved lotus stem, whose flower is in bloom and held to his nostrils, giving him the breath of life.
In front of him stands a calcite altar, around which winds a lotus flower. Placed on top of it are round breads, a cucumber, two baskets of fruits and a bouquet. The black grains which surround the offerings remain mysterious; maybe this a way to provide fumigation with grains of incense? Under the table, to the right, are two plant offerings, a branch of palm and a Roman lettuce (?).

A libation of water and encensement are carried out by Nakhtamon, with this accompanying formula: "An offering which the king gives, pure, pure, for your ka, by the hand of your 'brother', whom you love, the sculptor Nakhtamon, justified (and) his wife, the mistress of the house, Nebuemsheset, justified".
With the right hand, Nakhtamon pours water from the libation vessel (qebeh), whilst, with his left hand, he brandishes a censer in which burns wads of incense.
Nebuemsheset, with a cone of ointment on top of her wig, holds in her left hand a stoppered vase (all the women in the procession hold the same) whilst with the other she holds aloft a short vase, with a notched top edge, containing the stems in the course of germination, held together by a ribbon. This offering represents a wish for rebirth (a reference to the vegetating Osiris).

Behind her, is a parade of six men and three women, who represent the sons, son-in-laws, daughters and stepdaughters (see ), with, above them, the following text: "His son, whom he loves, Piay; his son Nedjemger; his son Pached, justified; Baki; his son, the scribe Ankhau, justified; his son Pached; his son Penkhnum, justified; his daughter, whom he loves, Webkhet, justified; his daughter, whom he loves, Neferetiamu; his daughter, whom he loves, Hemetnetjer, justified".
Piay holds a long stem of papyrus (tied with bindweeds) just like Penkhnum; Nedjemger holds a vessel possibly of wine; Baki is merely mentioned in front of his brother's image (probably forgotten ?) ; the first Pached, holds a duck by its wings; Ankhau is easy to identify since he holds his scribe's palette; the second Pached appears to be holding a bag.
The three women each have a head band with a lotus flower at the front. They each hold in their right hand a small ovoid bottle. The first, who actually wears a double cone on her wig, is Webkhet (also seen in chamber A, where she held a floral vase to her parents) who could be the wife of the Neferhotep of tomb TT216.

2) - Middle register

(see )

This is dedicated to the funeral ceremonies, the activities which follow the arrival of the sledge carrying the catafalque to the foot of the mountain of the west, before the coffin containing the mummy is transported by hand to the courtyard of the tomb.
The register can be split into two parts, right and left of the arrow added to image , the position where the accompanying text changes direction of reading.

a) - The right-hand side of the scene: the participants

The scene on this half of the register is in total confusion, possibly because of a lack of space in which the artist had to place so much detail. In other tombs, this would occupy more than twice the space available here. Some of the participants and related objects face one way, whilst they are intermingled with others facing in the opposite direction. The following will just explain the contents and the direction in which they face.

On the right, facing left, a sledge supports the barque on which is placed the catafalque, which in turn contains the deceased. This is of a classic design, with a row of "djed" symbols above another of the "tiet" symbols of Isis. A stem of palm is at the front of the barque and another at the rear (although now almost lost through damage), close to the rudders. Holding the forward palm stem is Nephthys and Isis, their images standing side by side on the front of the barque. They protect the mummy of Nakhtamon, whose name is written above the structure.
Next, to the left, the artist has attempted an amazing scene, with mixed results (see ). First note, in a Ramesside "manner", that one of the principal characteristics is a lack of proportion: elongated body parts and small heads. The artist wanted to give an illusion of perspective by mingling the characters.

Closest to the sledge, is found Piay, whose eminent place is manifested by being fully clothed. Behind him, with a white headband, stands "his son, Baki" (that is the deceased's son) whose name is written above of the shaven head of Penkhnum, who wears a black headband and also shows signs of deep sadness, an arm is folded up over his head. Two other arms, in front of Penkhnum, don't appear to have an owner. The character behind Baki, facing towards the left, is "the scribe Ankhau". He has a white band across his chest (incompletely drawn) which signifies his official position. In fact, one-handed, he holds a bouquet of cereals (signifying prosperity, harvest and new year) whilst in the other, he tightly holds a plant sprinkler with which he achieves a purification: the water can be seen in the form of small black spots. At his feet kneels a woman (whose face is very clumsily drawn) as if she rests her hands on a shen-sign, which is however absent. Behind her, a small girl, with the name of Henut-Mehyt, raises her arm in a gesture of mourning.
Further to the left is a casket presented by "the wab-priest, the scribe, Huynefer" to the deceased's wife, Nebuemsheset as well as to one his daughters, Webkhet, whose hands are enormously long (see ). The casket, containing the canopic jars, is surmounted by the reclining image of Anubis. It is a reminder of the entry to the tomb (likened to the seh-netjer - the first tent of purification - or, by extension, to the temple. Cherpion p93). Although the text places the wife and daughter with the male members of the family, who merely accompany the action, they are not just observers, but are present as the mourners normally seen in this scene in other tombs.
On a small low table, situated in front of Huynefer, are placed three tall vases, probably containing ointments, symbolised by the cones which are used as stoppers (similar to those placed on top of wigs).

b) - The left-hand side of the scene: the accompanying male family members

In addition to the two women, who could also be integrated here, are six men, who are related to Nakhtamon, but who ex-officio attend the ceremony. Their role is confirmed by the fact that they each carry staffs of office, an indication of their status in the community of the craftsmen. They are identified (right to left - the direction of the text) as: "his brother, the scribe, Wesersatet just[ified]; his brother Khonsu, justified; his brother Khaemuaset, justified; his brother Tjauenany; his brother, whom he loves, Pendau; his brother Wadjshemsu". These are therefore biological brothers and brothers-in-law of the deceased, all in ceremonial dress, with a short goatee beard. It should be noted especially, that the third one, Khaemuaset, has white or grey hair and doesn't have a staff of office: probably he is much older, "in retirement".

3) - Bottom register

(see )

This short scene, situated under the catafalque, between the entry and the platform, belongs by its theme to the register above it. It represents a funerary ritual accomplished by three women, facing left, squatting on the sand (representing the mountain of west) and apparently singing or chanting the following: "Water is poured on the earth for you, at the door of your tomb. (By) the female mourner of the Lord of the Two Lands, Iuy; the female mourner, Hemetnetjer; his daughter, the female mourner, Iyi, justified". In front of them are some offerings, and wads of incense burning on a brazier.

The east wall

()

This wall is a brick partition behind which is another chamber. It is part of another tomb, un-cleared. Plunderers had ripped open the wall and destroyed some of the seated characters and the accompanying text which came with them, about six out of thirteen columns.
The decoration of the wall represents a scene of homage by Nakhtamon, to his elders. To make things simpler, it will be divided into two.

1) - The seated couple

It is clear to see that the quarrymen produced an arch on the left side (north) in order to enclose the kiosk in which sat the characters (although, perhaps they were previously informed of the content of the scene by the artistic designer). The couple are seated in the usual position, the wife embracing her husband with her two arms. Each wears a cone of ointment and a headband highlighted with two red lines which enclose a series of red points. A closed lotus button is represented on the woman's forehead, whilst the man has around his neck, hanging from a thin chain, a heart amulet.
It is proposed that the male character plays the game called senet. This seems questionable, because on the one hand, there appears to be the remains of a flower in front of his forehead, on the other hand, at floor level, in front of his legs, there is an upright plant, usually found next to the central leg of a table of offerings.
The text which accompanies the couple is very original (see ) in the fact that the characters remain anonymous. In what remains of the text, the man is designated as "the servant in the place of truth, the master of the house", followed by a gap which precedes a final determinative. Then follows identification of the woman as "his sister (wife) , whom he loves, the mistress of the house" followed by another gap, before "justified". It is necessary to see, without any doubt, homage paid to the ancestors of the lineage of the craftsman Nakhtamon, for each to be capable of seeing his own name in the spaces which were deliberately left empty.

2) - The officiant

(see )

As a wab-priest, Nakhtamon has a shaven skull and wears a panther skin (which was perhaps, in practice, a painted fabric). As usual, he holds one of the paws in his hand, at the same time as a libation vase. His face is remarkable, and it should be noted that his ear is pierced.
The accompanying text proclaims that the officiant performs: "An offering which the king gives: pure, pure, of breads, beer, heads of livestock, birds, libations, wine, incense, ointments, and all good and pure things, for your ka. For the master [of the house], by your son's hand, your heir on land, wab-priest of the Lord of the Two Lands, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Djeserkare, justified, the son of Re, Amenhotep, (Lord of) the Village. The sculptor in the Place of Truth to the west of Thebes, Nakhtamon, justified. He says: Oh you gods, the Lords [of the west are gracious?] to me in the Necropolis.".
The name of the father not specified, and only a qualifier exists "the master of the house", but this time there is no blank space. Nakhtamon therefore addresses himself to generations of fathers who preceded him and not to anyone in particular. It is also evident from the text that Nakhtamon was priest of the cult of the village (the so-called "Amenhotep I of the village"), a prestigious function.

3) - The platform front face

Its front face is decorated with scenes of banquet, badly preserved; it is worth noting that similar scenes can be found opposite, on the bottom part of the west wall.

The left-hand section (see and ) : on a black wooden chair can be seen the lower half of a statue of the deceased, of which the end of his staff remains visible. In front is another chair, of light coloured wood, on which is placed three loaves and a vase, with a round base, containing plant stems. Other loaves are found under the chair. Around all of these items are found black and red spots, indicating the water of the purification ritual. This is followed by the remains of a man who holds a censor in his hand (only a small fraction of it can still be seen). In the other hand, held lower, he pours a libation on to a piece of meat which is surrounded by flames. In front of him can can be read: "[making] libations, four times".

The right-hand section (see right side of and the whole of ). Here several couples are seated, being served by other people. At the left, (visible in "ch-117") the first couple is waited on by one man (not visible in the photo). The second couple (far left in "ch-119) are now almost lost, but again they are attended by only one man. The couple on the right are served by two men and a woman. These officiants are identified as: "his son, [loved by] him, Piay", followed by "his son, loved by him, the scribe, Ankhau", then "his daughter, Henut-Mehyt".

The north wall

This is divided into two parts (see ), the one on the right (east) is above the platform, the other is the full height of the wall. The boundary between the two is represented by the pole supporting the rear of the structure surrounding a seated couple.

1) - The right-hand section

This consists of a single scene, which is set in the depth of the Duat (the underground world). There are only few examples in the private tombs, but an almost duplicate copy exists in the tomb of queen Nefertari, also in one of the first chambers (see ).
It represents a scene of great symbolic importance, summarising the efforts of the theologians of the Ramesside period to unite the natures of Re, the great god of the terrestrial world and day, and of Osiris, the great god of the underworld and night. The "ba" of the two divinities become intertwined and each becomes the other at the setting and rising of the sun. This central mummiform figure, who stands on the bevelled Ma'at sign, is a combination of Osiris, covered in his shroud, and of Re, represented with the head of a ram (which is also called "ba") on top of which is an upright snake. The accompanying text states clearly: "This Ra rests in Osiris (who) rests in Ra"; the name of Osiris is only written once, which again accentuates this idea of fusion.

Isis and Nephthys stand on either side of the mummiform image, the feet of each resting on a reed mat. They protect this phase of dangerous transition, of metamorphosis.
Isis stands in front of the god, with her back to a djed pillar, on which stands a cobra provided with legs and wearing the pschent (the double crown of ancient Egypt). The cobra is named "Iret-Ra", "Eye of Re".
Behind Nephthys, is found a solar falcon, wearing a disc completely surrounded by a snake, perched on the hieroglyphic sign of the West, which rises from between two hills (see ). Here the symbol is also clear, again confirmed by the text: "It is Re who is in the Duat, the great god".

2) - The left-hand section

(see and )

This consists of two superimposed registers of very unequal size and content.

a) - The upper register

Very mutilated by plunderers, this area of the wall is appropriate to the arrival of the deceased in the underworld, and the welcome by the goddess Nut.
Situated on the left part of the scene, the goddess takes on the form of a sycamore tree, as is often the case. Her feet actually form part of the trunk of the tree, whilst her body, identifiable in human form, leans forwards. She offers something, probably water, to the deceased and his wife, who have newly arrived in the west.
These last two, Nakhtamon and Nebuemsheset, are on the right side of the scene, seated on black chairs within a pavilion area, constructed of thin posts and roof all bound by twine. Most of his body is lost due to the damage. There is not much to say about the couple other than that they each wear on their heads a perfume cone, Nakhtamun's head being bald whilst his wife wears a long black wig. The presence of an ointment cone on his shaven skull (this being physically impossible), enhances the additional argument making this a symbol and not a reality (see ). Each also wear a usekh-necklace, but above his is another one with two gold rows.
The chairs of the couple rest on a watery area bordered in black, which resembles a rectangular pool, but representing the Nile as well as the primordial water of Nun. The woman, shown kneeling within it, drinks from it (see ), whilst the man is kneeling in worship, but he has nearly disappeared. The notions of crossing the waters is illustrated, in a very original manner, on the bottom left of the scene, behind the tree, with an image of a mooring stake around which is tied a rope, assumably attached to the barque. An actual barque is shown in the register beneath with the occupants seated in front of other people (see ). The small text next to the stake states: "to tie up beautifully". The tree goddess is identified as: "Tauret in her name of Nut". Tauret, the hippo goddess, protector of the women in childbirth, was very much venerated, especially by pregnant women. She conveyed the idea of birth, of gravidity, of protection.

b) - The lower register

(see )

This is dedicated to a certainly fictional pilgrimage, but which the magical power of imagery makes very real. The accompanying text, which is difficult to understand, make reference to navigation towards the holy places of Osiris as the Bennu bird (also referred to as phoenix) in company of the Ennead of Ra.
The boat is designed with a stern and a prow both of which are decorated with umbels of papyrus at their inner turned ends. There is neither oarsmen nor a man with a pole, nor even a helms man. The couple, Nakhtamon and Nebuemsheset, are seated under a light canopy. She wraps her left arm around his shoulders, whilst he holds in one hand a sekhem-sceptre and in the other the usual piece of material. In front of them is a small offering table, but which only has on it a vase and a lotus flower, on to which an anonymous officiant makes a libation.
The character who is at the front of the boat is interesting; with his two extended arms, he holds behind his shoulders (possibly in front of, but his face must not be hidden) a "thing" bristling with small tips along its edge, and whose nature remains hypothetical. A similar representation, which portrays a larger piece of cloth, can be seen in tomb TT359 of Inerkhau (see ) ; others also exist. It has been noticed that every time the boat is close to mooring, there is never a warning sign of the shore line.
In front of the prow of the barque are accumulated food offerings.

The west wall

As with the previous wall, this is also divided into two registers of very unequal height (see ). The bottom one is again the same height as the platform frontage, which faces it.

1) - The upper register

This is, alas, seriously mutilated, making it impossible to completely appreciate its original form. On the left is seated the god Thoth, in front of him stands the deceased and his wife, whilst on the right is the figure of the goddess Seshat, who oversees the proceedings. Thus the deceased couple present, in a bowl, the image of Ma'at to Thoth, under auspices of Seshat.
The offering of Ma'at (see ) is the main offering which the king makes to the gods, essentially on the walls of the temples (Cauville). It is an offering of excellence, which groups together, in her, all classic ideas of ethics: including justice and truth; universal, cosmic, social and political order. This provides the divinity that which nourishes it, the principle justifying its function (see the ).
In a private context, this offering has a merely funerary context, in link with the association which exists between Ma'at and Re, or to evoke the role of Ma'at in the deceased's justification. Unlike the royal scenes, there are never associated formulas of offerings, and therefore nothing which can suggest an interaction between the gods and humanity. This context of regeneration is illustrated here by an ankh sign, that of life, which is attached to the top of the god's was-sceptre (which he holds on his left hand) and is pointed toward the face of Nakhtamon. Whilst the deceased offers the image of Ma'at, Nebuemsheset offers, in a basket, three conical objects and incense (shown as small black grains).

a) - The god Thoth

Great god of Hermopolis, is master of the divine Ogdoad pantheon of eight principal deities, the master of language, of hieroglyphic writing, scribe of the gods and, like Seshat, he intervenes in the computation of the years. Thoth is represented with the head of an ibis (see ). His naked chest is crossed by a broad strap; his loincloth is held in place by a belt from which hangs a symbol of the Isis knot. His feet rest on a bevelled Ma'at sign. He is seated on a chair of archaic structure, coloured in white, red and black. In one hand he holds the was-sceptre, as already mentioned, and in the other he holds a scribe's palette and an ankh sign. Behind him, on a vase, which in turn is placed on a small pedestal, is a frog, the symbol of the multiplication, and possibly a sheaf of wheat.

b) - The goddess Seshat

(see )

It is regrettable that she has disappeared almost entirely, because her presence on the walls of a tomb is very rare. She is found most frequently in the temples, in connection with the rites of construction. "The scribe" (for that is what her name means) wears on her head her characteristic emblem. She has strong ties with Thoth, of whom she could be the sister, the consort goddess or the daughter, according to various sources. She was in charge of writing, of taking notations and notably of the recording of the years. She was "Lady of the house of books", a title which she maintains here.
The aim of the scene is therefore to obtain, in return for one life compliance with the norm, a full number of years of life in eternity

2) - The bottom register

(see and , also bottom of for full register)

This is the match to the one at the front of the platform, of which it has the same height and general composition.
It includes six seated couples, turned towards the entry (south). From right to left, they are: served by a man (1st - 5th), by a woman (2nd - 3rd - 4th) or by two (6th). Each couple, with an ointment cone on their wig, are seated side by side on seats painted in black, the arms of the woman enclose her husband. He, in turn, holds in one hand a piece of cloth and clutches in the other the stem of a lotus of which the flower, which reaches up to his nostrils, is either open or closed.

The 1st couple, at far right, consists of Piay (the father of the deceased) and the lady Neferetkhau. In front of them is a priest with a shaven skull, wrapped in a leopard skin. He is an officiating priest.

The 2nd couple (see ) Their names are lost, only the maids name has survived, Tabaket, who offers a vase.

The 3rd couple consist of Amennakht and Werel, attended by the lady Maatneferet. She holds towards the couple a goblet, inside which is a cone trimmed with ribbons, accompanied by three wads of incense. Also in her hand, possibly wrapped around it or the vessel, is a black object which it is difficult to identify.

The 4th couple (see ) are Hehnakhtu (?) and Nubeneferet, to whom Makhai presents a bouquet.

The 5th couple ((Khaemteri and Neferemsatet) are waited on by a man, Amenemopet, who presents a goblet including three cones (possibly breads) and wads of incense.

The 6th, final couple, located at the left end of the register, are a little different (see ). The deceased, the sculptor Rahotep, stretches a hand towards the flesh-coloured offerings consuming themselves in fire in front of him. The lady's name is lost. They are served by a woman and a girl: "her daughter Hanu and her daughter [Tare]khnuwa (?) ".

The register ends at the contact with the narrow entrance doorway to the room, on which is found the name of deceased, Nakhtamon, in black hieroglyphs on a white background.

Now back to chamber A, to the stairway which descends towards chamber C.